Last Good Day of the Year
by MorphailEffect
Summary: (REVISED, FINISHED) Gen character exploration. One year ago, the Rikkai team members unintentionally gathered at a certain park, on Christmas Eve.
1. 1: Preparations

DISCLAIMER: Konomi Takeshi owns Prince of Tennis and its characters. I don't. 

NOTES: Please forgive the lack of detail in this one...I still need to know more about the Rikkai players in order to properly flesh out their characters. 

So again, this is pure speculation. Effects such as an Aono Park in the Kanagawa prefecture, Kirihara's sister being in college (that is not Rikkai), Yanagi having Hawaiian family, etc, are my own additions: not official information. Nuh-uh. The setting is when the older Rikkai regulars are in their second year, and Kirihara is still a first-year, but already a regular. 

I think I'm building a reputation for writing about characters I don't know that much about yet, screwing myself over in the process. Hanging on to the hope that I won't be making a complete fool of myself when Konomi-sensei finally tells us more... 

This attempt at making sense goes out to Mithas the Ever-Clement, who's put up with one too many broken promises for fic and pic. 

Brought to you by...various Christmas carols. 

****************************** 

  
  
**Last Good Day of the Year**   
by MorphailEffect 

  
_I. Preparations_

"Aw c'mon, Kaasan! Let me go just this once!" 

There was going to be a free concert at Aono Park. A lot of indie bands were playing. He had never been to any sort of concert before, and Kirihara Akaya had given his word to his upperclassman Jackal that he was going. 

His mother didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation. 

"It's Christmas eve! You should spend it indoors, with family, like a good little boy." 

Kirihara pouted, and seethed inside. The fact that he came across as a "good little boy" to his parents, if not to anyone else, found the worst possible times to take prominence. 

"But Neesan's going to be out _all day_! How come she gets to go out with friends and I don't?!" 

His mom only stated what Kirihara already knew: "Your sister is only home from college for the holidays. She gets to spend less time with her childhood friends than you do." 

Kirihara was becoming desperate. He had dressed up and was ready to go, this was the only stumbling block to his plans. 

He was 13 and he wasn't missing out on the cool stuff, dammit. 

So at last he brought out his secret weapon: the Pout. The uber-cuteness of it was reserved solely for his parents, as it would ruin his reputation for badassness if he tried it on anyone else. 

His mother fell prey to the almighty attack. She cracked in seconds. Smiled and pinched his cheeks. 

"Akaya-chan is much too cute. He should stop being clever with his mother." She sighed plaintively. "Oh, all right...but be home before 9. It's Christmas Eve, so we have a special dinner tonight." 

****************************** 

Yagyuu Hiroshi was putting away his books when a little girl came into the room and knelt on the floor beside him. 

"Oniisan, let's go to Aono Park today!" 

He was thankful that his pretty, cuddly little sister waited for him to finish studying before troubling him. It wouldn't have been good manners to do otherwise. 

Sonomi was still in grade school. It was the best time for proper etiquette to be ingrained in her impressionable mind. 

"That's quite a way off, isn't it? What's at Aono Park today?" 

"A big free concert. All my friends are going!" 

Yagyuu sighed. He could sense a ploy to get him out of the house and into his sister's social circle, a mile away. 

He couldn't help it that he was crushed on by her sister's friends. And it wasn't as if the attention wasn't welcome. Better that those starry-eyed children looked up to _him_ than any of the young hooligans out there... 

(Yes, it was his brotherly duty to revel in the attention.) 

"Well...who's playing?" 

"Who cares?" Sonomi chirped. "I'm meeting Fee-chan and A-chan and Yui-chan and Kai-chan..." 

"It's Christmas eve, shouldn't they be staying home today...?" 

She shook her head. Her long, straight, neatly-kept hair swished to and fro. "They won't be staying out _all_ day! We'll be on our way home before dark." She blinked up at him. "Please, oniisan?" 

Yagyuu didn't see the harm in a brief outdoor excursion. The park wasn't that far away, either. 

He smiled indulgently. 

"All right, let's go to the park." 

****************************** 

"...Next time, then. Goodbye." 

Yanagi Renji put down the phone and sighed. 

It wasn't that he hated the cold, it was just that he was more used to days that were "too hot to spend indoors." It also came out of being close to his Hawaiian side of the family, he supposed... 

The truth was, Yanagi just didn't see the _reason_ for going out. One, it was cold. And two, it was Sanada who had called him up, asking if he would like to come visit Yukimura at the hospital. 

Which meant Yanagi would be hanging out with Sanada AND Yukimura. Both of them. Together. 

Of course the reluctance came out of an extensive processing of quantifiable data, as he counted the times when he caught Yukimura stealing sidelong glances at Sanada, their tense silences, the times when their hands touched as they handed things to each other...the little things that one would only notice from a uniquely opportune vantage point. 

Say, for example, that of a third wheel. 

Still, it wasn't always awkward. In fact, there were times when hanging out as a trio was actually...fun. Those times reminded Yanagi of their freshmen days, when their priorities were just coming into place, and their sense of humor wasn't so jaded. 

Yanagi rather missed those days. 

He started to change his mind as he looked out the window. On a day like this, a year ago, they had gone out together, all three of them, to a certain park at the heart of the city. And they had laughed, and told jokes, and had fun. 

"Family stuff" was just an excuse. All he had to do indoors before dinnertime was laze around and read, really... 

So he thought, What the hell. 

It was too cold a day to spend indoors anyway. 

****************************** 

Waiting was the worst part. 

Yukimura Seiichi's restless mind wouldn't let him spend the next ten minutes in peace. 

What if he wouldn't come? 

No one else was slated to visit him at the hospital today. It may have been Christmas Eve, but it was still a normal day for that particular region of Japan. Everyone else was of course busy. He had said to everyone, it was okay. It was the holiday season, after all. 

He didn't need anyone to visit. 

Nonetheless, someone promised that he would. 

And Yukimura found his whole day revolving around that promise. 

Whenever he could, he found it funny, this fixation of his on promises. Somehow he knew that other person shared it. The one thing they both hated was people going back on their word, for _any_ reason. 

Yet they both knew that things got in the way...that sometimes promises didn't work out. 

There could be so many reasons why he couldn't make it to the hospital today. His family might want him to stay in, after all he rarely stayed home even when school was out. He might want to practice instead. 

Or he might want to visit someone else. 

He tried to think of other, more pleasant things. Things he used to think about to get him through the worst of the relapse. The Rikkai team winning this year's national tournament. That third golden cup gracing their trophy cabinet. His teammates celebrating. 

He didn't have to see himself in those visions to enjoy them. 

Then there was a knock on the door. A familiar terse pattern. Yukimura turned. The door opened. His heart skipped a beat. 

And his weary face broke into a relieved smile for the newcomer. 

"Sanada..." 

  
  
(to be continued) 


	2. 2: Arrival

_II. Arrival_

Three boys stood in the middle of an open square at Aono Park, gazing out at the same spot in the distance with a grim, calculating silence. A few passers-by stared at them quizzically but were ignored. 

Apart from the fact that they were gaping at a harmless old flagpole several meters away, they seemed perfectly normal. Were endearing, in fact. 

Then finally, the littlest of them muttered "Bunta-niisan can't hit that pole at this distance." 

"Yes I can," Marui Bunta, the tallest of the three, answered. 

"No you can't." His youngest brother Hijiri was ever passionate about playing the devil's advocate. He feared for that one. 

"Bunta-niisan can hit any pole at any distance," Yajiro put in matter-of-factly. He was a freshman middle schooler and he knew better about most things. 

"Want I should go home and get his tennis gear so we can see?" 

"Heck no. The concert's about to start." The ever-sensible Yajiro was the first to break off from the staredown with the flagpole. 

Marui signaled for Hijiri to follow Yajiro as he walked off. He kept a steady pace behind his two younger brothers. 

Yajiro had wanted to see the free concert at Aono Park that "every kid on the block" was going to, Hijiri had wanted to tag along, and their constant bugging had landed their eldest brother Bunta the tedious task of babysitter. 

Marui resented the designation...but he had been hanging out at the tennis club after school too many times, and he had to admit, he needed to remind his little brothers that he existed. The winter break that started today was the perfect opportunity to do just that. 

Suddenly Hijiri stopped in his tracks. Started gaping at something else. Marui hoped it wasn't another flagpole... 

And was thankful to see that it wasn't. It was a bunch of grade-school girls huddled in a circle, giggling among themselves. 

...Which was actually worse. 

"That's Ruri-chan," Hijiri said beneath his breath. He was apparently staring at one grade-school girl in particular. "She's in my class..." 

"Hijiri likes her," Yajiro took the trouble to say, as if Marui wouldn't have figured it out on his own. 

The red-headed eldest gave Hijiri a gentle slap between the shoulder blades, pushing the boy in the direction of the group. Even if he had no idea which one of them Ruri-chan was. "Go on over and say hi." 

"NO!! Are you crazy??" Hijiri ran back and put his eldest brother between him and the girls. As he hung back he peeked around Marui's sides at the group. "I'm just...going to stick around for a while, alright? It's okay to stick around, right?" 

"Of course it is," Bunta answered affectionately, laying a hand on his brother's head. "It's called 'stalking' though..." 

Hijiri batted his hand off in annoyance. 

"Mou, niisan! The concert's about to start!" Yajiro planted his hands on his hips. "Hn. Do what you want. I'm going to find my friends." 

And without further warning, Yajiro darted off. 

"Na -- Oi! Yajiro! We can't leave Hijiri here!" 

Marui glanced over at his other little brother, who was rooted to the spot, unable to take his eyes off the group of girls in the distance. 

If Marui tried to pull him away by the arm, his arm would probably come off. 

"She's so pretty..." 

Marui sighed. At least he could trust Yajiro to find his way home in case they couldn't meet up again. But his parents would kill him if he let Hijiri out of his sight for even a second... 

*********************** 

They drew attention as they passed: the tall dark-haired teenage boy wearing a baseball cap, pushing around a wheelchair on which sat another teenage boy, bundled up in so many layers of clothing. One couldn't keep one's eyes off his pretty face once it was noticed under the cloth. 

The boy with the baseball cap pushed the wheelchair along at an unhurried pace. He kept his head down. One needed to be walking alongside him to notice that he was avoiding the more prominent bumps and cracks on the pavement. 

His face was as unreadable as the other boy's. 

The pair moved through the park slowly and silently. Neither was talking. 

Then the one in the wheelchair said "It's unusually cold today, isn't it?" 

"...Not too much," the boy with the baseball cap said. 

"Oh?" 

"..." 

"..." 

It always started like this. 

Neither of them was an expert at self-expression, but unlike Yukimura, Sanada could get damn lousy at it. 

"...Hey." 

"What?" 

"Thanks for taking me out today." 

No response for a while. Then softly, "It was Renji's idea." 

"Oh? Is he coming?" 

"He said he was going to meet us here." 

That made Yukimura smile. Though for some reason it made him sad as well. 

"That would be nice," he remarked. "The three of us together...just like old times." 

*********************** 

"I don't see why Okaa and Oyaji had to make us go here now," young Norimasa with the dyed blood-red hair sniffed. "Family bonding? At a _park_?? What the heck are those two old fogeys _on_?" 

"Bite your tongue, Nori-kun," snapped older Keiko, who wore glasses and had done up her hair so neatly, one would think she was going to a job interview. "Okaasan and Otousan have a point. It would be nice to go out as a family once in a while." 

"Ch. Of course you're taking their side. You always take their side, you old goody-goody..." 

"Hey! I'm not trying to pick a fight with you! So shut it, just this once, okay??" 

While his siblings bickered, Niou Masaharu stalked out of earshot. 

No tricks needed to get out of this one. 

He walked around until he found a relatively quiet spot... unpopulated, except for a small group of grade-school girls who were playing with pastel-colored gadgets while giggling quietly among themselves. They were easy to ignore. 

He leaned back against the fence and drew out a relieved sigh. 

This park had sentimental value for his parents. He wasn't sure if his siblings were paying attention when they talked about it once... 

His dad, who was a nightclub magician, had been out jogging, and his mother, a lawyer, had been taking a random walk while going through casework. They had bumped into each other _somewhere in this park_ and his mom had fallen in a bad way and broken her nose. His father had rushed her to the hospital in his arms. 

It was frighteningly sweet. And bloody. 

Right now his parents were off reliving old memories and getting all sappy on each other. Leaving their three children to spend their own quality time getting on each other's nerves, totally missing the point of the outing. 

He made up his mind to rejoin his siblings in a few minutes, when he was sure they had cooled down. In the meantime, he realized that the girls' conspiratorial whispers had evolved into a sort of squealing. 

What _were_ they all excited about? 

*********************** 

"KYAA! IT'S SONOMI-CHAN!" 

Of course the girls' bright eyes were fixed on Sonomi-chan's older brother, not on Sonomi-chan herself. 

...Not that Sonomi-chan minded. She seemed to enjoy her friends' fawning over her brother even more than her brother did. 

"Sorry I'm late, minna," she said brightly. "I brought Hiroshi-oniisan, I hope it's all right..." 

"OHAYO HIROSHI-SAAA~N." 

Yagyuu bowed politely and spoke in a kind voice, "Ohayo minasan." 

Sometimes (like now), that was all it took to send them swooning. 

Yagyuu could never really understand his power over adolescent girls, but he had vowed never to take advantage of it. Some girls his age in Rikkai tended to behave like this around him, too. 

While he liked the attention, he wished he had something else to divert him. Hopefully the music was going to be at least good. He wasn't a rock and roll man, but he welcomed the exposure. 

He also wished he had brought his MD player. Or a book, at least. 

He knew he had spent entirely too much time with them, but he suddenly missed his teammates at the tennis club. 

*********************** 

Huh? What was all the noise about? 

Marui looked over at the group of girls his brother had been ogling for the past few minutes. He saw something that broke through his boredom and made him crack a wide grin. 

"Hey! It's Yagyuu!" he exclaimed. "What a surprise...Hijiri! Let's go say hi!" 

Little Hijiri's eyes went wide as plates. He started sputtering out a protest, but didn't finish fast enough. His brother had already seized him by the wrist and was dragging him forward to where Ruri-chan and her friends stood. 

There was no salvation in sight for Hijiri. Ruri-chan's perfect face loomed closer and closer before his eyes. 

"It's too bad Yajiro isn't here," his brother was mumbling, from some other galaxy. "Come on, I'll introduce you..." 

  
  
(to be continued) 


	3. 3: Come Together

NOTES: And the OOC-ness worsens! 

Just a reminder: this story is _purely speculative_. So all the names, places, events, etc, that you don't see appearing in the manga, are my own additions. 

However, I've taken the teams' sibling arrangement from the Rikkai profiles of the Fruity Explosive Translation website So while I made up names and attitudes, I'm taking it as official info that Marui has two younger brothers, Yagyuu has a younger sister, Niou has an older sister and a younger brother, etc. 

Seriously, those very talented people at FET should get explicitly grateful fan mail from me everyday. 

_-- MorphailEffect_

  
  
_III. Come Together_

Niou and Marui (and a suffering Hijiri) approached the group of girls from opposite directions, and reached them at the same time. As one, the Rikkai players both said _"Oi, Yagyuu -- !"_

The whole group of girls fell silent. Niou, Marui and Yagyuu stood still and stared at each other in surprise for a few seconds. 

There would have been tumbleweeds. 

But before that could happen, there was laughter. 

"You two! What are you doing here?" 

"Out with family. What about you guys?" 

"My little brothers wanted to see that concert. I didn't really want to go." 

Niou smirked over at Marui. "Me neither. Hard to deal with family during the holidays, huh..." 

"God, you said it." He pulled forward the dead weight attached to his hand. "This is my youngest brother Hijiri, by the way." 

"Hijiri-kun! What a surprise!" a particularly doll-like girl cried, with a wide welcoming smile. 

Hijiri's face was turning red beyond belief. 

"Glad to meet you, Hijiri-kun," Yagyuu was saying. "Niou-kun and Marui-kun, you've met my sister Sonomi...these are her friends..." He gestured politely to the other girls as he spoke their names. At the end, he told the girls "Minasan, these are Niou Masaharu-kun and Marui Bunta-kun. We play on the Rikkai Dai Fuzoku middle school tennis team." 

"EH?! YOU GUYS PLAY TENNIS WITH HIROSHI-SAN?!" 

In a flash, Sonomi's friends divided into two groups, one to crowd Niou and another Marui. 

_"We're huge fans of Hiroshi-san! What are your play styles? Is either of you left-handed? Is it fun playing in the Rikkai team? Is it true your captain got sick? Are you going to win in the nationals this year, too?"_

_"Puri!!"_ escaped Niou before he could choke it back. 

Sonomi hung back with her brother, smiling pleasantly as she watched Niou and Marui start looking rather embarrassed. "So it's not just you after all, Oniisan..." 

Yagyuu chuckled. "Thank goodness. I feel less lonely now." 

There was a blast of drums and electric guitars from somewhere nearby. People cheering. Marui thought the noise couldn't have come in at a more fortunate time. 

"Ah -- " he said as he backed away from the girls moving in on him, "has the concert begun? I have to go look for my other brother now." He hastened to leave, glancing over his shoulder just to wave at Yagyuu. "Take care of Hijiri for me!" 

Once more, Hijiri was rooted to the spot. He watched his treacherous older brother vanish from sight. 

Pretty Ruri-chan pouted. "Hijiri-kun, you _never_ talk about your eldest brother! We didn't even know he was on Hiroshi-san's team!" 

"Um..." Just when one would think Marui's little brother couldn't get any redder, he did. 

"Don't worry, Hijiri-kun. I'm not mad. And I'll take good care of you while your oniisan is gone!" Ruri-chan hooked an arm around Hijiri's. 

Niou chuckled to note that the poor kid would probably get more out of the experience if only he wasn't about to piss his pants. 

"Well, we should be heading to the concert, too." Yagyuu turned to Niou. "Are you joining us, Niou-kun?" 

"Sure. I'll just go tell my brother and sister." 

"You can go with Niou-san if you want, oniisan," Sonomi said to Yagyuu, a knowing smile on her face. "We can take care of ourselves." 

"Eh? But Sonomi..." 

"We have our cell phones, ne?" Sonomi had started to herd off her gang toward the direction of the noise/cacophony/rock music. "We'll either meet up with you guys later, or be home before dark, we promise!" 

"But what about -- " 

"Can you tell Marui-san we want to have fun with his little brother for a while?" 

Yagyuu was about to say something, but Niou laid a hand on his shoulder and answered for him. "Leave it to us, Sonomi-chan." 

"Niou-san is so sweet! Alright, we'll see you later~!" 

Yagyuu stood looking after his little sister and her group, feeling vaguely...used. 

"..." 

Niou scratched his nose, one of his many unconsciously cute gestures. 

"...So, well, I'm about to introduce you to my family now. Are you up to it?" 

Yagyuu put on a brave little smile. 

*************** 

Kuwahara Jackal's greeting to the newcomer was a gruff "You're late!" 

"Sorry. Things." Kirihara was still catching his breath. Black hair fell damp all over his face. 

Kuwahara didn't sympathize. Both he and the younger boy lived near the area, where Yukimura's hospital and Kirihara's favorite tennis club were also located. There was no call for being late. 

And if by "things" Kirihara meant "parent problems" ...well, his parents didn't want him to go, either! His Brazilian mother had been intent on making him help her with the Christmas shopping, and the fixing of Christmas Eve dinner. She was telling him firmly that Christmas eve is a traditional holiday that should be spent with _family_, as he was making his way out the front door. 

In Kuwahara's reckoning, she took her Christian holidays way too seriously. But then, Kuwahara admitted that he rarely took anything seriously. Tennis was probably the only thing he actually ascribed any real importance to. Which was probably why it occurred to him to ask the first-year Kirihara, a fellow club regular, of all the friends who lived in the vicinity, if he wanted to come to the concert. 

"Well, you're lucky...the first band sucks," Kuwahara snorted. "No wonder this thing's free..." 

Kirihara was busy surveying the area, wider-eyed than Kuwahara was used to seeing. 

"Wa~h, so this is what a concert looks like... Why the _fuck_ is the bass so loud?" 

"Because the stage technicians don't know how to work the acoustics worth shit." 

Kirihara looked up at him. "A...kosuchikku...?" 

Kuwahara rolled his eyes. While Kirihara could be a pain in the ass, he was also one of the most naive people he had ever met. Poor child couldn't even get a grip on basic English pronunciation if his life depended on it. 

He laid a hand on the much smaller boy's head. 

"Come on," he instructed. "let's find a spot closer to the stage. We'll want to be there when the good bands start." 

Kirihara irritably squirmed out from under his upperclassman's hand, and walked ahead. "Hey, how did you know which bands are playing?" 

"There were people going around giving out flyers a while ago. It had the lineup, looks like the good bands are all bunched up at the end." He took out a folded piece of newsprint from his pocket and handed it to his companion. "Here. Keep that, it's yours." 

It wasn't that Kirihara had any clue about indie bands, but a glance at the lineup _would_ prove educational. He accepted the flyer without comment, brought it up close to his face, and started reading as they walked. 

As a result, he wasn't able to keep from crashing against a younger boy with shaggy red hair. The younger boy had been busy looking around, himself, and had not seen Kirihara in his path. 

"Watch where you're _going,_ asswipe!" Kirihara snapped, roughly shoving the boy away from him. 

The boy fell back against the tall, broad Kuwahara, who helped him steady himself by holding on to his shoulders as he got to his feet. 

"YOU watch where you're going!" the younger boy hotly retorted. "You didn't have to push me so hard!" 

Kirihara blinked. The kid's voice sounded familiar, too... 

"Sorry, kid," Kuwahara said to the boy, almost smiling. "My friend here just doesn't like people getting too close to him. He didn't mean to push you..." 

"Yes I did." Kirihara was holding the boy's gaze now. 

"What the hell does that mean?" the boy challenged, stepping up to Kirihara. "Wanna fight? Huh??" 

A corner of Kirihara's lips lifted. "Don't stand so close to me." 

"I wanna, so what are you gonna do about it??" 

A calm, placating voice said from somewhere nearby: "There is a 100% probability that our friend will break one or more of your functional limbs. While I admire your drive for vengeance, I don't encourage that you pursue this endeavor." 

All three boys turned. A tall teenage boy was making his way toward them in slow and leisurely steps, hands in his coat pockets. 

Kirihara's new acquaintance found himself staring. Either the newcomer was looking down at the ground as he held his head up, or he was actually _walking with his eyes closed._

"Yanagi!" Kuwahara exclaimed. "Come to watch the concert, too?" 

Yanagi Renji smiled. "Well...I guess I am. I was just out for a stroll, and I learned about this event just today." He glanced at the nameless boy standing too close to Kirihara than has got to be good for him. "Who's this?" 

"This..." Kuwahara began, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder in a friendly gesture. 

The boy shrugged his hand off violently. 

"I don't have to introduce myself! This kid here pushed me and he won't even apologize!" He shot daggers at Kirihara. "You just wait til my older brother gets here..." 

"Oh?" Yanagi seemed serious. "We're not looking for a bloodbath, but just out of curiosity, which older brother are you referring to?" 

"He's a top player in the Rikkai Dai Fuzoku middle school tennis club! He's real strong and he can kick your ass!" 

Kuwahara's eyes went wide. "Huh...?" 

Kirihara's face fell fast into "clueless" mode. 

"So," Yanagi Renji said coolly -- as if he'd expected this sort of answer. "Having eliminated all the possible alternatives, I'm guessing your older brother is the Rikkai team's master volleyer, Marui Bunta?" 

The boy became still. 

"Hey, you know Bunta-niisan?" 

Yanagi nodded. "We are...close with the Rikkai tennis team. Your brother is truly strong. We wouldn't want to get into a fight with him." Yanagi glanced over at Kirihara. "Therefore, our young friend must apologize for whatever offense he has committed against you. If he knows what's good for him." 

Kirihara met Yanagi's stare and gave a low growl. 

Surrounded by upperclassmen and ordered around _again._

Kuwahara found himself smiling. He wanted to provide some comfort to his younger friend in this situation, but he couldn't deny that the little bastard deserved it. 

"...Fine. Sorry," Kirihara said through his teeth at the boy. And promptly turned his attention somewhere else. 

"Well done." Yanagi stepped up to the boy and smiled at him. "I hope an apology is sufficient. Your brother might want to know that he has friends in the area... but if he doesn't want to see us, please just send him our regards." 

The boy, still sort of dazed with the speed of the events, nodded. "Sure, uh...okay. See ya." He sprinted off without looking back. 

Kuwahara let out a long breath of air. 

"What do you know," he said to Kirihara, "of all people who'd run into your face, it had to be Marui's little brother. And you had to pick a fight with him too!" 

"Shut up," Kirihara huffed. 

Kuwahara ignored the impudence and asked the newcomer, "You were out alone today, Yanagi?" 

"Not really...I just came early. I've invited some friends to join me." He looked far past Kuwahara's shoulder, at a pair making their way slowly to the stadium. "And it seems they made it to the appointed place on time." 

  
  
(to be continued) 


	4. 4: Extrications, Integrations

NOTES: Quick ref: _"haafu"_, AFAIK, is a colloquial Nihongo version of the English term "half-breed." It simply describes multiracial affiliation, and is generally not meant to be derogatory. Sometimes it's also used as an insult, but not in this fic. 

After I finish posting all the parts of this story, I'll be going back to my other work in progress, "Harder to Breathe." 

Apologies and thanks go to the ones who've been kept waiting. I haven't forgotten :) 

_-- MorphailEffect_

  
  
_IV. Extrications, Integrations_

It was okay to leave Hijiri with Yagyuu, wasn't it? Yagyuu wouldn't _lose_ his brother or anything, would he? 

Of course it was okay. What could go wrong? 

He made his way to the stadium. He figured that by now, Yajiro had found his friends, and was standing very still somewhere, where his older brother could spot him easily. 

He ended up almost bumping into Yajiro, who had been striding around, eyes everywhere except on the road ahead. 

"Hey!" Marui called, gripping the boy's shoulders. "Look where you're going, you're going to hurt someone!" He looked over Yajiro's shoulder at...nobody. "You haven't found your friends yet?" 

_"No,"_ the boy replied emphatically. "I don't get it. They said they were going to be here!" 

"Well, there are a lot of people here. Maybe you just haven't spotted them yet. Want me to help you?" 

"No, I just need more time to look. Where's Hijiri?" 

Marui scratched his head. "Um...I left him with a friend of mine while I went off to look for you. He'll be alright. I'll be back for him in no time." 

Yajiro shot him an incredulous look. "Kaasan and Tousan are gonna kill you." 

"I _know_!" Marui answered, panicked. "You don't have to tell on me, do you??" 

Having successfully put one on his brother, Yajiro answered with a self-satisfied smirk. "Hey, I bumped into some friends of yours. They said you might want to join them." 

Marui's brow furrowed. "Eh? Friends?" 

"I didn't get their names...but one was really tall and had dark skin. Like a _haafu_. And one had wriggly black hair, like Michael Jackson..." 

Even as Yajiro was speaking, Marui was coming up with the right names in his head. Were those two there for the concert? 

"...and there was this strange oniisan who never opened his eyes _once_!" 

"Yanagi?! What's he doing here, too?" There must be something important afoot. Marui recalled with some dread that Yukimura's hospital was somewhere in the area. Could it be... 

"He said you might want to join them. They're over there." Yajiro pointed to a spot far from the stage. Marui thought he could already spot Kuwahara's bald pate from that distance. 

"Alright, probably later...I have to make sure Hijiri's okay first." He looked at Yajiro again. "Listen. I promised Kaasan I'd get you guys home before 7. So even if this concert isn't done yet, when 6 o'clock rolls around, you come back _here_ and wait for me, okay?" 

"What, 6?!" Yajiro looked grievously offended. "That's too early! I haven't even found my friends yet! 

"Yeah well tough, I'm not getting in trouble just because of you two." He turned to leave. "Remember, 6 SHARP, okay?" 

He was about to stride off, when he heard Yajiro step up and call out for him to wait. 

When he looked back, Yajiro was standing there with his hands in his pockets... eyes shifting, as if he was about to say something embarrassing. 

"Bunta-niisan...is really something..." 

What was Marui to say to that, except "Huh?!" 

Yajiro rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. 

"Just seems like you have a lot of friends...people who know you're strong. I mean..." He straightened up and faced Marui squarely. "I think I get it a little why Kaasan and Tousan are so proud of you." 

Yajiro might not have intended what he said to affect his brother so strongly. But it made Marui fall still. It had been too long a time since something he heard generated so many conflicting emotions inside him... 

It was a hell of a way to realize, all in a rush, how uncomplicated his life in the Rikkai tennis team had been. All he'd ever had to do was win. 

How was he to know that winning took him away from other important things? 

He wanted to walk back to Yajiro and do something...like pat him on the shoulder or lay a hand on his hair. 

But he also felt, for some strange reason, that he didn't deserve to do something that familiar. 

So he just turned. 

"...6 _sharp_, Yajiro." 

And strode off to find his youngest brother. 

********************** 

Niou took a deep breath before saying: 

"Kaachan, Touchan, Keiko-neechan, Brat, this is Yagyuu Hiroshi, the one I've been telling you about. We play doubles on the team." 

"Glad to finally meet you Yagyuu-kun!" Niou's dad greeted cheerily. He was a tall, slim man with a tendency to speak at the top of his voice, as if he was always laughing out loud. "You know, Masa-kun's told us so many things about you!" 

"Is that so?" Yagyuu chuckled shyly. "Well, good things, I hope..." 

"Yeah, like how playing doubles on the Rikkai team is _boring_." 

"Shut up, will you!" Niou's older sister Keiko snapped at Norimasa. "Can't you even TRY not to be hateful, even to strangers?" 

"But he's not a stranger," Norimasa sniveled, a parody of innocence. "He's Masa-nii's _doubles partner_. He's literally _family_." 

"I agree!" Niou's mother piped up. She was actually quite lovely...in a petite, prim, office worker kind of way. She was firmly attached to Niou's father's arm, a dreamy "all is well with the world" look on her face. Yagyuu noted that Niou had her eyes. "We know _so much_ about you, you're almost one of us, Yagyuu-kun! You're very welcome to join us, in fact. We're planning to explore _every square inch_ of this park before the day is out!" 

Both Niou and Yagyuu had to blanch at that. EVERY SQUARE INCH of the park? 

Niou cleared his throat. "Yeah. Um, Kaachan...I brought him here to ask if I could hang out with him for a while. I'll go home on my own later." 

"What are you talking about? _He's_ hanging out with _us_!" 

Yagyuu made appropriate little gestures of embarrassment. "Etto...I'm afraid..." 

"Now Yagyuu-kun, there's no need to be shy! After all, we won't take no for an answer!" the tall adult's friendliness suddenly became ominous. 

"We'll have so much fun!" Niou's mother said, clapping heartily. "But we have to cover a lot of ground right away because we have to be home early! Your father's cooking..." 

"HUH?!" All three children said at once. Yagyuu presumed their father's cooking couldn't possibly be a good thing. 

"Yes! It's a special occasion, so your father gets to cook!" 

"Can't we _pretend_ we're a normal family and just _eat out_?" 

"And that means _what_, boy? Are you saying I can't cook?!" 

"In the meantime, Yagyuu-kun can tell us more about himself!" 

"Yeah, like where you live! Your favorite dish! What your parents would want for Christmas!" 

"Do you even _have_ parents...?" 

"That's right! You're not going home without a present for your parents! We meet Masa-kun's friends so rarely..." 

"...your father's yearly income...your grade point average..." 

Yagyuu kept up a courteous smile. Inside, he was twitching. 

"Oh, we can stop by old Kitajou's, we'll surely find a nice gift there!" 

"...your birthdate...your blood type..." 

"Does anyone in your family like magic tricks?" 

"Maa ne, let's not fuss over Yagyuu-kun! We might embarrass him!" 

While this charming, hyper family bickered lovingly among themselves about how best to deal with their new acquaintance, Yagyuu and Niou stood off to one side, staring dumbly at the proceedings. 

Finally, they looked at each other. Niou wore what was clearly a mask of determination. 

"Yagyuu..." 

"Niou-kun..." 

"Let's do it." 

"What? _Now?_" 

"What better time?" 

"But -- not in front of your family!" 

"Oh they won't be surprised, believe me." 

"It'll be embarrassing..." 

"The fun is worth the risk!" 

"But what will they think afterwards? Of me? Of _us_?" 

"I don't know! I don't care! Anything to get away from this!" 

Niou's left hand reached into his pocket. And before his family could be distracted from their "discussion" -- 

_"PURII~"_

There was smoke. Lots of it. 

And when it cleared, several seconds later, Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi were nowhere in sight. 

Niou's family stood blinking, speechless, during the short time it took them to comprehend the situation. 

"Wa~h?! Where did they go??" 

"Haaah, I _knew_ I shouldn't have given him that new magician's kit for his birthday..." 

"I think you scared Yagyuu-san when you invited him for dinner." 

"Keiko-chan, your father's cooking isn't THAT bad." 

"...should've saved it for Christmas instead..." 

"Masa-kun had to break out the smokebombs. I call that an act of desperation." 

"...oh, but smokebombs are so _thirty years ago_!" 

"Maa! Masa-nii won't be bringing friends over to meet us anytime soon, I guess!" 

"And he probably won't be bringing Yagyuu-san over for Christmas Eve dinner, either. What a shame..." 

  
  
Several meters away, and out of sight of the Niou family, Yagyuu stood utterly composed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"Good job getting us away, Niou-kun," he was saying to his companion, "But I must agree with what your father said. Smokebombs _are_ a bit passe." 

******************* 

It may have been Yanagi's imagination, but Sanada seemed relieved at the sight of his friend approaching. 

"On time, as expected." Yanagi turned his smile to the boy in the wheelchair. "How are you today, Yukimura?" 

"Good." Yukimura's voice was weak. Yanagi could barely hear it over the loud bass sounds issuing from the stage. "Been showing improvements in the past few days, so my doctors said it was okay to let me go out." 

"I'm glad to hear it. You could use some sunlight. You've been turning a little pale." 

Yukimura chuckled at this. Sanada grunted. 

Yanagi continued, "Let's go join the others. I came across Akaya and Jackal by accident a short while ago..." 

"Ah, those two are here, too?" 

"Yes, apparently for the concert." 

Yanagi led the pair to where Kirihara and Kuwahara were standing. The two were genuinely surprised to see who was coming their way. 

"Sanada! Yukimura-buchou!" Kuwahara greeted brightly. 

"Where the hell are your wristbands?" Sanada snapped, making both of the younger players jump and pull themselves up stiffly. 

"Uh...Sanada, it's the start of winter break, so I thought..." 

"That's no excuse! Didn't I tell everyone to wear their power bands at all times?" 

"I'm not wearing my power bands, either." Yanagi took his hands out of his coat pockets, held up his unrestrained wrists. "One day without them won't hurt." 

Sanada didn't bother looking at Yanagi. He was busy administering the Glare of Doom to Kuwahara and Kirihara. He, of course, wore his black power bands, was the only one in the group who did so. 

"...Fine, but start wearing them again tomorrow. It's 300 sit-ups for the next person I catch not wearing them after today." Sanada grudgingly dropped the Glare of Doom. The two younger players he had been grilling let out small sighs of relief. 

All the same, Yukimura told them both, "You really shouldn't stop wearing them. I can't wait to put mine on again..." 

Kirihara seemed excited. "Yukimura-sempai! When are you coming home from the hospital?" 

"This Sunday...if all goes well." 

"That's great, isn't it? You can spend the New Year at home!" 

"Yeah...but the best thing is, I can go back to school and the tennis club right after the winter break." 

"Is that all?" It was Sanada this time. For some reason, his voice was hard, uncompromising. 

Yukimura paused. The smile on his face wavered. 

"...I just...have to keep taking my medicine. And get plenty of rest..." 

"Remember you're not immune to punishment if your play isn't up to par." 

A subtly grim frown came upon Yukimura's lips. 

"...Of course." 

All throughout that brief exchange, Yukimura didn't turn to meet Sanada's gaze. 

There was a moment of silence as the band left the stage, and another band came in to take their place. 

"Good riddance," Kuwahara grunted. The restless audience who stood closer to the stage seemed to mirror his sentiments. 

Kirihara was studying a piece of newsprint. "Jackal-sempai, who's this next band? Are they any good?" 

Kirihara and his sempai conspired in their own little corner about the band lineup. Meanwhile Yanagi stepped up closer to Sanada. 

"It would've been better for us if the stadium was empty, wouldn't it?" he said casually. 

"Hmm," Sanada agreed. "Can't be helped. It's the start of the winter break, kids need to find ways to pass the time." 

Yanagi observed his friend. Sanada's stance was less rigid, his face less stoic. 

In the middle of a tournament, Sanada would be constantly on "leader" mode. On or off the courts, you had to watch yourself around him. He expected that you took the winner's mindset as seriously as he did, at least for the purpose of attaining your goal. 

But now that the last national tournament was over, he had started to loosen up a bit. In fact, he let the no-wristband affair slide, when he wouldn't have done so at any other time. Yanagi would have figured that this was the best time for him to see Yukimura again. Especially considering that dealing with the sickness is sure to have made Rikkai's newly-appointed team captain more emotionally vulnerable. 

Yet Sanada just went on that tough "leader" mode while speaking with Yukimura. Yanagi couldn't quite understand. 

"Jackal," Yukimura called, "can I see that lineup? And tell me which bands are good. I don't know much about the new groups." 

Yanagi stood off to one side and continued observing. Kirihara and Kuwahara crouched beside Yukimura, respectfully addressing the sick boy below his eye level. Sanada bent down to look at the flyer Yukimura was holding and listened to Kuwahara ticking off the list, but made no comment. 

It couldn't be a sure thing from Yanagi's vantage point, but ...were those two having a fight? 

  
  
(to be continued) 


	5. 5: A Time for Remembering

  
  
_V. A Time For Remembering_

Where were Yagyuu and Niou? 

Where were Yagyuu's sister and her friends...? 

And above all, where the _hell_ was Hijiri?! 

Marui hadn't gauged how long it had taken him to find Yajiro and come back to the spot where he left Hijiri with Yagyuu and the rest. But he figured it was enough time for everyone to get restless and decide to go on ahead to the concert. 

That's it, the concert. They were sure to be there. If they weren't there yet, they were sure to get there at one point or another. 

And if he didn't find his brother, Yagyuu, or even Niou, who couldn't possibly be innocent of anything, before 6 PM, _someone_ was going to pay. 

******************* 

"Hmm...well this second band wasn't so bad," Kuwahara was mumbling to himself as the music died down, "even if I don't like reggae..." 

"I'm thirsty. I'm getting something to drink!" 

"Make sure its ingredients are less than 10% artificial, Akaya." Yanagi had started digging into his pockets. "And get me a can of oolong tea while you're buying." 

"Bottled water," Sanada supplied, bringing out his own wallet. "Two containers." 

If his upperclassmen knew that the look Kirihara was flashing them was an offshoot of the Pout, they would never let him live it down. "What?! I'm not a water boy, dammit!" 

"Stop whining," Kuwahara said to him. "I'll help you carry it." 

And not for the first time that day, Kirihara found himself walled in by otherwise well-meaning, taller older people who could string him up by the thumbs if he misbehaved. 

Grumbling, he took the money and stalked off to the nearest refreshment stand, not caring if his Jackal-sempai was following or not. 

"It's going to be great having Yukimura back in the team," Kuwahara said brightly when the two of them reached the stall. 

"Hmm..." It was a noncommittal sound. "I dunno. I'm getting used to Sanada-fukubuchou running the show." 

Kirihara rested his elbows on the counter and made his purchases. Then he went on, without looking at his companion: 

"When Yukimura-sempai comes back, he might be the weakest one of us." 

Kuwahara might have found it easier to deal with a comment like this if Yukimura weren't in the area. But the other boy's presence alone made such a comment seem out of place. _Kouhai_ weren't ever in a position to make such speculations around their upperclassmen. 

"Akaya," Kuwahara said sternly, "watch what you say about our captain." 

But when Kirihara looked over at Kuwahara, the look on his face was thoughtful -- not resentful or mischievous. If anything, it showed that he was seriously concerned about the team's total strength...as the future head of the Rikkai team would be. 

Perhaps it was Sanada's training. Perhaps it was just the deep-set practicality in Kirihara that kept him concentrated on the goal. In any case, what he just said about their captain no longer struck Kuwahara as completely insensitive. 

Kirihara gathered up the drinks, tossed the two containers of bottled water over to his companion. 

Then he grinned his kittenish grin, wherein his intense eyes, and the serious look in them, disappeared. 

"Just kidding. That's Yukimura-sempai, after all." Kuwahara blinked. The kid had slid back into "harmless" mode as if it was nothing. How could he _do_ that? 

"Besides...sempai made a promise, didn't he? I know he's going to keep it." 

The third band started playing. Kuwahara insisted on lingering by the stall so they could listen to the first song. In the meantime, he bought his own drink. 

******************* 

Niou and Yagyuu sat side by side at a high spot overlooking the fast-filling stadium, far away from everyone else. From where they were, the audience looked like ants shifting restlessly in one huge clump. 

Without knowing it, they were also overlooking a small gathering of other Rikkai middle school tennis club regulars separated from the crowd. 

"Niou-kun. Seeing your family," Yagyuu began quietly, "I got to thinking about Yukimura." 

Niou looked over at Yagyuu in askance. 

"It's Christmas Eve. He probably has family visiting him, but... I wonder how he's doing." 

Niou inclined his head to one side. "You worry about him a lot, don't you?" 

Yagyuu took a deep breath. What he was about to say had been brewing inside him for some time, and it was hard to find the right words... 

"I know he's strong. It's just, it affects us all -- having one sick member." He let out the rest of his breath in a sigh. "Even if he wasn't the captain, it would make a difference. I don't think any of our opponents in the other schools understands that. I know our families don't..." 

The Rikkai Dai Fuzoku tennis team regulars were a unit. They were complete unto themselves, they made each other stronger. And they felt it acutely when one of them was weaker than the rest. 

When one of them was suffering. 

Since finding out that Yukimura had to undergo surgery, Sanada had significantly increased the team's exercise and training regimen. His objective -- and he had made it clear since the beginning -- was to increase everyone else's playing level. They had to fill in the skill gap that Yukimura left. 

In case Yukimura could never play again. 

The possibility was never said outloud, but it never needed to be. The rigorous training buried all their apprehensions under so much blood and sweat. 

Niou took time to phrase his reply. 

"We're not just aiming for a third win at the Nationals for Yukimura's sake," Niou intoned. "We go on for ourselves, too. That's why we're training twice as hard...winning the Nationals is the only thing that's important." He said all this with absolute certainty. As if he was reading from a book. Or quoting something someone else had said. 

"Yagyuu. We only have to do this _one more time._ Nothing must hold us back. Even Yukimura understands that." 

Yagyuu was silent for a long while. 

Finally he sighed. 

"You're right, Niou-kun. I shouldn't talk nonse -- " 

Suddenly, someone struck Yagyuu upside the head, loud enough to make him eat his words. 

"-- Ow! what the -- " 

"So where'd you put my brother?" 

"Hey it's Marui again," Niou greeted with utter lack of interest. "How've you been?" 

"I was talking to this one," Marui snapped back at Niou. "_You_ don't answer for him. Unless for some insane reason, you two switched places or something...I wouldn't put it past you." 

"Marui-kun." Yagyuu was fixing his glasses, which had been knocked askew. "My sister and I've brought our cell phones. We should be able to ask them where they are." 

"Go on and use it then! And let me talk to Hijiri, okay?" 

Yagyuu complied. He took out his cell phone from his pocket and started dialing. 

A short while later, he reported: "My sister's phone is unreachable." 

"What do you mean unreachable?!" 

"Means they've either gone as far as Kyuushuu," Niou droned, "or they're in a covered area. Like a tunnel of love." 

Marui shut his eyes, groaned and fell to the ground beside Yagyuu in an exhausted heap. 

"I can't believe all our training at the Rikkai team isn't enough preparation for running after two brats." Marui sighed. "You guys are lucky." 

"Yeah, so my sister says." 

"Don't worry, Marui-kun. We'll be able to contact them later." 

The angry wailing of an electric guitar broke through the silence. There was screaming from the crowd. The third band had started to play. 

"This band looks popular," Niou remarked. 

Yagyuu squinted. "I think I've seen them somewhere, but I can't recognize them from here." 

"Let's go closer." Marui stood up. "My not-missing brother told me there are some interesting things going on down there. Besides, I'm stressed. I need gum." 

************************** 

_Yukimura lost his balance as he was about to counter Renji's volley. He fell on one knee and seemed to lose control of his entire weight. _

His shoulders slumped. His grip loosened and if he hadn't caught himself, the racket would have rolled off his palm and clattered to the ground. 

On their side of the court, both Renji and Yagyuu took one step forward, mouths open, ready to speak their captain's name. 

The only one who didn't seem alarmed was Genichirou, Yukimura's doubles partner for that practice match. 

"Can you go on?" Genichirou asked, stance rigid, eyes hard. 

Yukimura's reply was a faint and labored "...Yes." 

"Then get on your feet." 

Renji knew enough to take Yukimura's answer for law. But Yagyuu had to protest. "Sanada. We should take him to -- " 

"That's enough, Yagyuu!" 

The reprimand came from Yukimura. 

Rikkai's captain came to his feet slowly, but with no sign of trembling or hesitation. He looked up directly at Yagyuu. 

"I'm still your opponent," he said to the speechless boy, his eyes filled with agony and hate. "Let's finish this." 

Yanagi was snapped out of his thoughts by a can of oolong tea coming up close to his face. 

He started upright and looked up. Kirihara peered down at him. 

"Sempai wasn't paying attention," he pointed out with wicked delight, as if he intended to add _"I could have hit you and you wouldn't have seen it coming."_

"Ah...thank you, Akaya." Yanagi took the can and his change from Kirihara's hands without ceremony. 

"Here," Kuwahara was saying nearby, as he handed two bottles of water to Sanada. Kirihara stepped over to Sanada to deliver the change, then bounced off to join Kuwahara at a safe distance, closer to where Yanagi sat. 

Sanada reached one of the water bottles down to Yukimura. Yukimura raised his hand in polite refusal. He still wasn't looking at Sanada. He appeared to be gazing at something further beyond the stage. 

"Aaagh, this is flat!" Kirihara complained, making a face at the soda can he was holding. Yanagi noted blankly that it was the _one softdrink_ that had most of the artificial colors and flavors he had just warned Akaya not to consume. "Is yours flat too, Jackal-sempai? Let me have some!" 

"Hell no! You'll drink it all up!" Kuwahara sheltered the can from Kirihara's predatory claws. 

"Just one drink! I'm really thirsty!" 

"If you're really thirsty you'll finish your own soda, even if it's flat!" 

Yanagi heard Sanada make a puzzled sound. He turned and saw that Sanada was watching a familiar trio fast approaching their group. 

_"Are?"_ Kirihara blurted out when he followed his upperclassmen's gazes. "It can't be. More sempai?!" 

************************** 

_As the three most serious freshman players, Yanagi Renji, Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou gravitated toward each other even after club hours. _

Together, they found quiet spots where they could spend time laughing and discussing topic after topic, children who had just found their best friends and were enjoying the start of the relationship. 

Sometimes, however, their discussion turned serious. That happened more and more frequently as they became more and more engaged in the events of the tennis club. 

Once, at the empty stadium in Aono Park, Seiichi and Renji sat discomfited while Genichirou paced to and fro, working off unrest. 

Renji was the first to voice out his thoughts: "Our upperclassmen are obviously not fully aware of our club's resources. It doesn't follow that they should arrogantly dismiss our suggestions just because we're first years." 

Seiichi knew whom Renji wanted to comfort with those words. "Genichirou..." 

"Our sempai are weak. They don't understand the importance of championship." Genichirou was speaking in a steady voice. He didn't seem angry at all anymore, not like he was earlier that morning, at the Rikkai practice courts. "It's not enough that we've been regional champions for 14 years. With enough effort, we can conquer the nationals as well." 

And Genichirou had every right to say this. Like Seiichi and Renji, he was also considered a tennis prodigy. Like them, he was a winner. 

"And now they have three top-level first-year members they won't even listen to. We can be stronger than this. We can be national champions. If we have to fight for the right to prove it, we will!" 

At an earlier outing, Genichirou had announced that he was determined to make it as a regular in his first year, even if Renji and Seiichi couldn't make it with him. Seiichi and Renji had thought he was joking, but in the days that followed, he trained himself rigorously and challenged upperclassman after upperclassman -- and beat them all. 

When Genichirou announced something, he followed through. His determination was like nothing Seiichi had seen. 

Genichirou...was strong. Being friends with him made Seiichi feel strong. 

"If we win the national championship three years in a row," Seiichi brought up, "we could prove our own skills. It could become a new school tradition. Regional championship won't be the middle school tennis club's only goal anymore, and it would all start with us." 

Who would want to pass up the chance of becoming immortal? 

Genichirou stopped pacing. He approached his friends. With a resolute look, he raised his left hand to eye level, palm open. 

"We'll start this new tradition. The three of us together. Let's make it a promise." 

Renji smiled and grabbed Genichirou's left hand with his. 

When Genichirou put his right hand up, Seiichi held it without hesitation. Genichirou's strength flowed into him through their joined palms. He felt its warmth. 

"It's a promise," he said. 

They were fast approaching last national tournament they needed to clear. 

And Yukimura couldn't get his body to understand the urgency. 

Maybe that was what made it hard to look into Sanada's eyes...he couldn't admit that the fight was becoming too difficult. 

Still, it was a waste of time to feel uncomfortable, after having looked forward to Sanada's company all day. Yanagi was here too, and Yukimura felt like he should extend a hand in making their get-together worth it. 

They should be enjoying themselves. They were there as friends. They weren't there as tennis club members. 

"Oi, slackers! Never thought you were the indie concert sort..." 

"Is there a tennis club meeting? No one called me." 

...Though the point was perhaps moot since all the regulars were making an appearance. 

"And not one of them wearing wristbands," Sanada grumbled irritably. 

"So, Yukimura. You were so troublesome in there, they finally let you out, huh?" 

Yukimura faced Niou with a roguish smile on his face. 

"Yeah, all the pretty nurses said they needed a break." 

"Does everyone in the region know that we're here?" 

"Nah, my brother just bumped into you guys. He said I was welcome to join you, so I did, I just brought two friends along." 

"Heh, you should've seen it, Marui! Akaya here bumped into your brother and apologized on bended knee." 

"I did not! Jackal-sempai!!" 

Yukimura smiled to himself. The third band's music was great, and everyone was in high spirits. 

Making sure everyone would have a good time wasn't going to take too much effort. 

(to be continued) 

******************* 

NOTES: Second to the last! 

The sixth and last chapter is still in drafting process, it might be a while before I finish it. In the meantime I'm planning a sort of overhaul for this fic. There's a huge miscalculation I've managed to overlook up to this point. Fear my peerless self-betaing skills. 

I'll reveal the nature of the miscalculation at the last chapter. Meanwhile, the plot goes on undisturbed. I won't apply any major changes until I've finished everything, I promise. 

_-- MorphailEffect_


	6. 6: Day's Ending

NOTES: I said in the previous chapter that part 6 was the LAST. I'm saying now that part 7 is the ABSOLUTE last. 

Sorry for the fickleness. Ending a long fic is HARD. I never knew it before now ^^ 

Special thanks to girltypefuuma, midorinomizu, and tongari on LJ, if they can read this. Keep up the great work spreading the Rikkai love ;) 

_-- MorphailEffect_

  
  
_VI. Day's Ending_

  
  
Kuwahara Jackal never thought the day would come when he would actually _enjoy_ being in the company of all the other regulars. Usually he liked hanging out with just Marui, Yagyuu and Niou...Yanagi was okay, too, he was nice if a bit weird...and he had no choice but to babysit Kirihara, but as long as he wasn't in "fight" mode, Kirihara was all right... 

Having everyone together like this, including Sanada and Yukimura, should have felt like a tennis club practice session...actually it did, when Sanada's greeting turned out to be a reprimand about missing wristbands, and he and Kirihara tensed up, waiting to be dealt their punishment... 

But the discomfort rapidly dispersed. If there was a hierarchy effective among them that day, it was buried underneath the noise and the festive air, which grew more prominent as the afternoon drew on. 

"Anou...Yukimura-buchou..." 

"What is it, Jackal?" 

"I was wondering...why do you need to be in a wheelchair? Can't you walk yet?" 

Worried, without saying, that he wouldn't be able to walk again for a while. 

"I can walk. It's just that my muscles are weak, and I've been having some problems with nausea. The doctors don't recommend I stress myself." 

"Is it the medicine?" 

Yukimura nodded. "It's temporary. The intensive treatments have stopped, so once I've adjusted, my reflexes should be fine again." 

The answer was uplifting. "Enough to play tennis?" 

"...Yes. Enough for that." 

Kuwahara was about to ask more, but the next band started to play, and Marui groaned: 

"Oh no. Not another Yellow Monkey clone." 

Kuwahara looked out at the new band playing a rather catchy beat onstage, and frowned. 

"Yerou mankii...?" Kirihara mumbled at ground level. He had lain down flat on his stomach, terribly bored. 

"Something that isn't Thee Michelle Gun Elephant." 

"...I know what the Yerou Mankii is. Are you making fun of me?" 

Kuwahara stole Marui out from under Kirihara's kill-hunger. "What are you talking about? Listen to that, will you? That's more like B'z, than anything..." 

"Duh. Can't you hear those extra effects? You don't know your Yellow Monkey from your ass." 

_"What?! Why you little -- "_

"Kuwahara-kun. Marui-kun. Please," Yagyuu interrupted. 

"Kids and sick captain present," Niou finished, gesturing to the boy on the ground, then to the boy in the wheelchair. Rikkai's trickster sat sprawled beside Yanagi, who sat near Yukimura, calmly enjoying his oolong tea. 

"What?" Yukimura said innocently to Niou. "Let them continue. I'd love to see them kill each other over the Yellow Monkey." 

"I see your sadism is returning," Yanagi cheerfully pointed out. "You'll be out of that wheelchair in no time." 

Yukimura chuckled. "Where's my whip? I think I'll be needing it soon..." 

By this time Marui and Kuwahara were deeply engaged in a multilayered debate concerning basslines, synthesizers, and each other's mothers. 

"Fukubuchou~, Buchou wants his whip back~," Niou singsang. Yagyuu barely stifled a sudden snicker at this, and as a result it came out as a brief series of snorts. 

Very calmly, Sanada announced, "When school starts, you're all doing laps." 

************************** 

Kirihara Akaya started to yawn. 

Sure the music was okay, but Jackal-sempai fangirling over every new band was getting old. Even with Marui-sempai there to start vaguely amusing fights over which band was better and why, making little popping and clicking sounds with his gum mid-sentence. 

If going to concerts like this was what "cool" meant, he was willing to be among the "uncool" crowd, as long as it allowed him to kick ass. 

Sometimes he wished he had more friends among others of his year level, so he could get to do more things with more people. But seriously...the only people in school who seemed to be able to stand him were the Rikkai tennis team regulars. 

All upperclassmen, unfortunately. Most of whom wouldn't let him forget the difference in age. 

Besides, the things that other kids his age did seemed even _more_ boring. The Rikkai regulars were all right. He could pick fights with Marui-sempai and Jackal-sempai if he got way too bored, and it would be just like tussling with older brothers -- except he got laps and cleaning duty for it afterwards. They were worth it, really... 

Sometimes, too, Niou-sempai let him in on some of his newest tricks. Which was always fun. 

Not for the first time, Kirihara wondered what life in the tennis club would be like without them. 

He rolled over on his stomach and glanced up at them all, five holding a rather tame discussion among themselves at the background, and two _this close_ to getting into a fistfight up front. And Kirihara felt a rush of sadness that was never welcome. 

These old fogeys all took care of him, kept him in a leash, kept him from killing himself with his own mischief, tried their best to instill a winner's discipline in him. They'd probably stolen one of the best years of his young life, yeah...but who was to say he wouldn't have wasted that year if he were left on his own, anyway? 

What would be left of the Rikkai team if they were gone? 

... 

He didn't want to think about it. If there was anything else he learned from these boring guys, it was not to sweat the small stuff. 

He focused on thinking how it was great to see Yukimura-sempai again. Even if he wasn't going to say it outloud. 

It didn't hurt that the new band had started to play something more ballad-ish. It helped calm him down. 

If the day ended now, it would actually have been a bit fun. 

Sleep...sleep was good... 

************************** 

Marui Bunta started snubbing Kuwahara a few bands later. It seemed they never agreed on liking any one band, and while the argumentation itself was fun, he shouldn't draw it on to a friendly scuffle. He was still going home for Christmas eve dinner and he needed his face intact. 

He knew he and his jovial, dark-skinned friend provided even more amusement to their companions than what was going on onstage, but he really couldn't help himself... Having two younger brothers who played their new CDs on full blast every other hour gave him the responsibility to instill a finer sense of musical appreciation in his peers, dammit. 

But the skies darkened too soon. And he became steadily listless. He approached Yagyuu, sat beside him, and elbowed him into paying attention. "It's almost 6 PM," he announced. "I should be taking my brothers home." 

Yagyuu got his thoughts together quickly and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. 

While watching Marui and Yagyuu, Yanagi remarked: "This is the last day of the year when we could all get together, isn't it?" 

"Yeah..." Kuwahara supplied. "Next time will be when school starts, after the winter break." 

"And then we can get right back to being sick of each other's faces," Niou added gravely. 

Yagyuu finished speaking into the phone. He handed it over to Marui, whose spicy greeting was, as could be expected, "Yo, brat! ...Oh, sorry Sonomi-chan. Could you put the brat on?" 

"Hmm. I should be heading back soon too," Jackal started musing aloud, while Marui chattered away. "Mother's going to throw a fit if I'm not back in time for Christmas Eve dinner. Not that I'm looking forward to it..." 

"Someone has to take Akaya home," Sanada pointed out, glancing over at the younger boy flat on his stomach on the ground, snoring softly. 

There was a moment of silence. Then all of them, except Marui, turned to Kuwahara. 

"What?! No way!!" 

Niou grinned. "Thanks, Jackal. You're a noble guy. Make sure to send our regards to his older sister, 'kay?" 

"But I just said I had to be home...!" 

"You and he are almost neighbors. I'm sure it won't be too out of the way." Yanagi wore the smile of a saint. While Kuwahara sputtered out a sad little protest, Yanagi proceeded to ignore him and stood, brushing dirt and grass from his clothing. He turned to Sanada. "I think I should be going, too." 

"Aah," Sanada acknowledged. "This really isn't your kind of music, is it?" 

Yanagi's face became expressionless now. "Genichirou...I'd like you to walk with me out of the park. If it's all right." 

Sensing the urgency in this request, Sanada frowned. He glanced down at Yukimura...but it didn't seem as if Yukimura heard what Yanagi said. Or cared. He kept on watching the band at the stage, hands peacefully folded on his lap. 

Sanada looked instead to Niou and Yagyuu. 

"I'll stay here," Yagyuu volunteered, nodding. "Don't worry about Yukimura." 

"I'll stay here too." Niou scratched his nose. "Gotta make sure Yagyuu stays out of trouble." 

Reluctantly, Sanada stepped away from the wheelchair. Yukimura leaned over to say something briefly to Yagyuu, and Sanada relaxed as if he had been cordially dismissed. 

"So everyone...we'll be seeing each other then," Yanagi said to the rest. 

"Have a good break," Yukimura answered without turning. Yanagi laid a hand on Sanada's shoulder, and the pair walked off. 

  
  
Meanwhile Kuwahara looked down at Kirihara, whose snoring had taken on new heights. He prodded the younger boy's ribs with the tip of his shoe. When that provoked no response, he kicked Kirihara on the side gently. With a less-than-peaceful snort, Kirihara came awake. 

"!! What? Huh? Where am I?" 

"The stadium's burning down. People are running all over the place," Kuwahara all but yelled down at him. "Get on your feet or you'll catch fire." 

"Huh? Fire?" Kirihara mumbled sleepily. His eyes were closing again. "They're still playing while the stage is on fire? Hey that's cooolll..." 

And the snoring returned with a vengeance. 

Grumbling, Kuwahara picked up Kirihara by one arm, which he slung over his shoulder. Kirihara blinked awake again, and got on his feet, but wasn't able to form a single word beyond the standard mumble. 

"-- Right. Just go there and _stay_ there, I'm on my way." Finally, Marui handed the phone back to Yagyuu, who calmly shut it off and slid it back into his pocket. Marui stood, stretched. 

"Well -- ! Time to get going. It's been a blast, but it would've been even more fun if one of us knew the Yellow Monkey from his ass!" 

"Hey!" came the feeble protest from the boy struggling to keep dead weight upright. 

Marui popped a bubble at Kuwahara. To the rest, he said a simple, cheerful farewell. He knocked his fist against Niou's as he walked past, then he stepped over to Yukimura to do the same, before dashing off to where he was meeting his brothers. 

"Great to see you about, Buchou," Kuwahara said to the boy in the wheelchair, smiling brilliantly. "We'll be seeing you next year, right?" 

Yukimura answered with a thoughtful nod. 

_"Throw him off the next bridge!"_ Niou called after Kuwahara and Akaya, who limped along groggily. 

_"Meant to!"_ Kuwahara cried back, earning him a hearty whack on the side of the head from his half-awake charge. 

"Well, he's finally here," Yajiro said snidely as his older brother Bunta approached him and his two younger companions -- Hijiri and one of the girls Marui vaguely remembered from Sonomi's group. Who was it again, the cute one -- oh, Ruri-chan. Right. "You guys kept me waiting for almost an hour!" 

"An hour?!" Marui exclaimed. "It just turned 6! Why'd you stay here for an hour?" 

But Yajiro's disappointment was made clear enough by his pout. His arms were crossed on his chest. "My friends were a no-show. They're gonna get it when I see them again." 

"Yajiro-san shouldn't be sad," Ruri-chan was saying, in her upbeat, cheerful way. "There are other times to meet up with friends, ne?" 

Yajiro threw an amused grin over at her, then over at Hijiri, who was busily hiding his blushing face. Marui regarded the sunny girl with a grin similar to Yajiro's. "Ne, Ruri-chan. Are you going home with us?" 

"Nope!" she piped up, blissfully clueless. "I'm going back to Sonomi-chan and A-chan. Hiroshi-san's going to take us all home! I just wanted to make sure Hijiri-kun got here okay." 

Marui's grin grew wider. "Heh. Well, thanks for taking care of him, then. We have to go ahead now." 

Ruri-chan turned to leave. "It was nice meeting you Bunta-san, Yajiro-san. Bye, Hijiri-kun!" 

Marui and Yajiro waved back as she disappeared back into the distant crowd. Then Marui proceeded to lead the way out of the park. The three boys each assumed a relaxed slouch while walking...in their individual ways slightly drained by the events of the day. 

A note of resentment rang in Hijiri's voice as he mumbled, "She sure likes that Hiroshi-san..." 

Marui popped a well-placed bubble. "So Hijiri...how was your date?" 

"Hmm...was all right..." Shot daggers at his brother. "And it wasn't a date." 

"Not a date, sure," Yajiro snorted, rolling his eyes. "At least Bunta-niisan got to meet up with his friends. How was it, Niisan? Was it fun?" 

Marui was about to answer off the top of his head, but he stopped. A wistful smile touched his lips in that brief pause. 

"...Yeah. It was fun." 

************************** 

Sanada Genichirou asked when they were far enough away from the other boys, and the noise of the bands onstage were beginning to fade: "You want to talk?" 

Yanagi slowed to a stop. As he did, he said to the boy who still walked a little ahead: "Are you trying to accomplish something by acting like this?" 

Sanada turned and faced him squarely -- first looking mildly surprised, then affronted. 

"'Like this'? What are you talking about?" 

"This sort of attitude works with healthy subordinate players. Not your sick captain." 

There was no spite in Yanagi's voice, no poison. His words stung, but Sanada knew his teammate only used this tone when he was out to make someone else see reason. 

"...And certainly not your sick friend, Genichirou." 

Sanada pulled himself up. Glowered for a second like he had just been dealt an undeserved blow. But in the end he turned his face away, hid his eyes behind the downturned visor of the dark cap he always wore. 

"I know where you're going," he replied quietly. "But I can't be easy on him. I can't be easy on anyone. We all need to fight harder...especially him." 

All of a sudden, knowing that he had the upper hand, perhaps, Yanagi sounded kinder. "He's been fighting as hard as he could, Genichirou. Don't you remember?" 

  
  
_The first thing that would occur to one who met Yukimura as a first-year student at Rikkai university's middle school, was that he looked lonely. _

The slim long-haired boy walked through life with a touch of dreamy aloofness; hours and days passed him by as if he didn't even know they existed. As if he didn't have the energy to spare for most ordinary things, like picking up a fallen textbook, or saying hello to a new friend. 

The only time he became energized was when he played tennis -- and only when he was challenged to play at his full capacity. 

The first-year members of the Rikkai tennis club were already encouraged to play seriously among themselves. First-years trained with first-years, it was rare that they were allowed to "interfere" with their upperclassmen's rigorous training. Freshmen submitting suggestions for the improvement of the regulars' training regimen was, of course, unheard-of. 

Sanada was the one who played Yukimura first. He could still remember the first time he saw light in Yukimura's eyes, life on his pale 13-year-old face. It made him look like an angel, and heads turned to watch him play. 

Sanada lost to the angel, and demanded a rematch (of course), which the angel was only too glad to provide. During the rematch, the angel lost. But he was out of breath toward the end of the match, and could barely finish the last set. Sanada didn't consider it a fair game and invalidated the results. 

The tennis prodigy Yukimura Seiichi had been harboring an illness since he was small. It was something he hid because he would never have been able to play tennis, otherwise. And playing tennis was the only thing he enjoyed. 

He must never exert himself for long periods of time, otherwise his body suffered an imbalance that would go on for days. And somehow he managed to hide what this imbalance did to him. He simply made it a point to apply any sort of play -- power or speed -- that would end his matches in record time, and before his ailment could rise to the surface. 

He also wore his hair long so that no one would see if he needed the pain hidden. 

Sanada soon realized that of all the members of the Rikkai middle school tennis club, Yukimura had the most command over his body. He was ill, but he had managed to keep from getting confined in a hospital since he was a little boy. Sanada respected this, admired the strength that came with it. But Yukimura's body was growing too, and it was getting harder to stay in control... 

Yukimura refused to sign up for the junior selection training camp next year without giving an explanation. Even when confronted, he would only give roundabout answers, like "resting for health reasons" -- no details of any sort. 

The suspicious, slightly irked Sanada took it upon himself to arrange a private talk with one of Yukimura's closer cousins, who was a college student in Rikkai. In his stoic way, he argued with this cousin that he needed to know the exact state of Yukimura's health, as a fellow member of Rikkai's tennis club. 

At last this cousin relented, told him the nature of Yukimura's illness, the treatments he was going to undergo that fall. Sanada was also told that the illness threatened to progress into something much, much worse. 

And he was told all this as Yukimura's friend. Who needed to know, even if Yukimura had not wanted him told. 

Their seniors knew nothing about his illness. Yukimura was named captain before the start of the winter break during their junior year. Sanada wanted to dispute this decision, but Yanagi convinced him to stay his hand. 

"He worked hard for the captainship, Genichirou. You can't take this away from him. If he can't handle it, he'll bow out... you'll have to trust that he will. 

"Besides," Yanagi assured him, "he'll have an easier time with the two of us supporting him, than with him supporting either of us." 

There were many things he had not told Yanagi. 

But words never came easy to Sanada Genichirou where his personal feelings were concerned. 

Sanada wasn't angry with Yukimura. Or upset about anything. It wasn't that there was nothing he needed to explain. 

He just didn't know what to say. 

Sanada still would not meet Yanagi's eyes. He was vaguely aware that he had done this with Yukimura, and now he was doing it with his other best friend. But he wasn't about to recoil. He folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. 

"He mustn't hold us back, Renji. You were there. He made that promise to you, too." 

Yanagi was unmoved by this. Perhaps he was even calculating the results of this short discussion, as he would do in a shougi game. He countered each of Sanada's moves coolly. 

"We mustn't hold him back, either. This isn't the way to help him get better." 

His words came with pure logic, the power of which Sanada only disputed when it got in his way. This time, it wasn't getting in his way...it was trying to make him see where he was going. Why was he resisting in the first place? 

"Genichirou..." 

Sanada looked up at the sound of his name. When Sanada caught his eye, finally, Yanagi showed a smile so slight it almost didn't exist. 

"No matter what happens, I'm still with you." 

(to be concluded. again.) 


	7. Last Good Day of the Year

VII. Last Good Day of the Year 

  
  
Niou Masaharu couldn't remember if a day like this had ever come for them as a team. Every time they got together and their two leaders were in the vicinity, all they ever talked about was tennis. They brainstormed about rival players and gameplay strategies, picked at each other until nerves were raw...and when the other regulars weren't being more intense among themselves than the university's college debate team, they were boring Niou half to death. 

But today was all right. Today had nothing to do with tennis. They should try to hang out like this more often next year. 

He just wished his family didn't have to embarrass him in front of his own doubles partner. That could seriously mess up his and Yagyuu's synch. 

And smokebombs...what was he thinking... 

But he wasn't going to dwell on all that. Besides, the concert was especially interesting when the slightly more goth-visual performers came on. Those guys can really pick out kickass color combinations... 

"Yanagi seemed thoughtful," Yukimura muttered absently after a long moment of comfortable silence. "I wonder if something was bothering him..." 

Niou shrugged. "Probably something about the tennis club," he helpfully contributed. "You know, while you were gone, those two were the tennis club's lead dogs, always going off by themselves and whispering about us behind our backs..." 

"Niou-kun," Yagyuu said in a hushed warning tone. But a faraway look had settled into Yukimura's eyes again. 

"...Lead dogs, huh..." he said softly to himself. 

Niou grimaced. He searched Yagyuu's eyes for a clue how to proceed, and somehow managed to patch together: "Yeah, you know lead dogs...all they do is bark and bite. Normal people can't understand their speech." 

Yukimura's face relaxed into a smile. Thus he exerted a little effort in showing that he appreciated the attempt to make him feel better. "Those two...they can make perfect sense. If you push the right buttons..." 

"Except with Sanada. Just thinking about the act of pushing buttons will get you racing to the infirmary," Yagyuu joked. Yukimura gave a small laugh at this. 

"The right buttons on Sanada are hard to find. But if you know him well enough -- " 

Yukimura stopped speaking abruptly. His hand flew up to his half-open mouth. Yukimura's upper body pitched forward slightly. 

Yagyuu was on his knees and beside the wheelchair in an instant. Niou scrambled to his feet and strode up closer. 

"Buchou!!" 

"Yukimura..." 

The boy made small choking sounds behind his hand, at the pit of his throat, inaudible over the noise coming from the stage. 

Yagyuu looked up at Niou. "We have to find a doctor. We can't wait for Sanada." 

Niou nodded and started to get on his feet...but Yukimura gestured with his one free hand for Niou to stay. This singular motion rendered both 14-year-olds helpless. 

They waited, crouched on either side of Yukimura's chair, for the fit to subside. Thankfully, it didn't take long. Yukimura settled back into his chair and tilted his head up, breathing heavily, hands gripping his thighs. 

Not knowing what else to do just then, Niou reached down and tucked the loosened ends of the blankets back beneath Yukimura's legs. 

When he glanced up at Yagyuu, he saw his own concern looking back at him. 

"I'm all right," Yukimura told them presently, in a very weak voice. "This was what I was talking about earlier...with Jackal. The nausea..." 

"Is there anything you need? Do you need to go back to the hospital?" 

Yukimura shook his head insistently. 

Just then a familiar booming voice came from nearby: "You two, what's going on?" 

"...Sanada." Yagyuu never seemed panicked, but at Sanada's appearance, he definitely sounded relieved. "Yukimura just..." 

"What?" Sanada was at Yukimura's side in an instant. Niou became aware at the edge of his consciousness that they had made a fuss, and that people in the area had started to stare at them. 

Yukimura seemed to have trouble opening and focusing his eyes. His head stayed tilted back, and meanwhile Sanada loosened Yukimura's scarf, as well as the topmost buttons of some of the layers of clothing keeping his upper body protected from the cold. 

Sanada was frowning, but only in concentration. There was only the barest hint of anxiety in his eyes. "This happens," he said to whoever could hear him. "There's nothing we can do." 

Both Niou and Yagyuu hesitantly fell back, giving Sanada space. Sanada would know better, of course. He was the one who most frequently visited, at home or at the hospital. 

Nothing they could do... 

It was something they seldom heard. 

Niou turned his face away. The phrase stuck like a bitter taste. 

************************** 

Yagyuu Hiroshi wondered what his sister Sonomi and her friends would think if they saw them like this. 

Three boys with helpless looks on their faces, crowded around one lean, pale boy in a wheelchair, who wasn't even strong enough to move his head. 

This was Rikkai's winning team. The boy in the wheelchair was what held them together. 

His cell phone started ringing. Yukimura opened his eyes a crack in response to the foreign sound. 

"Sonomi," Yagyuu said into the phone. He stood and walked off a short distance, lowered his voice as much as he could afford. "No. I'm sorry, but do you think you could wait for me a while longer? I have to stay a while, it's...important. I'll explain when we get home..." 

"Yagyuu," he heard from behind. It was almost a question. 

"...I see. Well, we can meet there later. All right." Yagyuu ended the call and turned around. Yukimura and Niou were looking at him. 

"It's okay. It's getting dark," Yukimura continued. "You should be taking your. Sister and her friends home." 

"There's no trouble." Yagyuu looked at Sanada as he assured everyone this. 

Sanada frowned at Yagyuu, but spoke in a subdued tone, "You and Niou have to go. You'll make your parents worry." 

"But..." 

Niou planted his hands on his hips and gave a small frustrated sigh. 

"Sanada's right," Niou told Yagyuu. "Let's go find Sonomi-chan and the rest first. Then I gotta be home." 

It was a cue. The look on Niou's face said he didn't want to leave, either. But there was no point in staying if the two of them weren't going to be of any help. 

  
  
And when they were a good way off, on their way to meet Sonomi and her remaining friends, Niou explained, in a tone that Yagyuu recognized as placating, "Sanada's there. Things can't get any worse." 

Yagyuu only nodded thoughtfully. 

Niou stepped ahead and faced Yagyuu, walking backwards, hands in pockets, making sure his companion's eyes were on him. He broke the silence again by saying, "Yagyuu, you know what the worst thing was about today?" 

Was this a serious question? "The worst thing...?" 

"We never moshed." 

It was only then that Yagyuu realized: there had been a light tone to his friend's voice, it was a punchline. A grin came to Yagyuu's face, and he found himself chuckling. 

"That's right. We never did, did we? What a waste of a perfectly mediocre free concert." 

Niou raised his eyebrows in a gesture of agreement. He turned, and they fell in stride again. 

"...But yeah," Niou said presently, "aside from a few things...well, it was good. Today was good." 

There were more young people in the park than there had been earlier that afternoon. Perhaps Jackal was right, the good bands _were_ all bunched up at the end. It was almost regretful to leave at that time, but Yagyuu acknowledged that the Rikkai middle school team had little to do with the affairs of other people their age. It was as much a privilege as it was a loss. 

"I can't argue, Niou-kun." His smile was mischievous. "That escape trick we pulled on your parents is going to be an especially fond memory." 

Niou went incredulous on him. "You told me smokebombs suck." 

"I did not say they 'suck.' I said they were 'passe.'" 

Niou rolled his eyes. 

"But you know what, Niou-kun?" 

"Hn?" 

Yagyuu paused as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"I think I _would_ like to have dinner with your family sometime." 

************************** 

Yanagi Renji had spent most of the day sitting and observing. Multitasking was his forte; he was able to launch complicated calculations, conduct intelligent conversations, evaluate the music, and enjoy his favorite oolong tea, all at once. 

As he sat in the train on his way home, he reviewed the calculations he had made, paying close attention to the results he had carefully memorized: 

There had been a 97% chance Kirihara Akaya was going to fall asleep in the middle of the park, since there had only been a 3% chance of any sort of mayhem occurring in the vicinity of the entire Rikkai middle school tennis club playing team. He didn't have anything to worry about there... 

There was an 86% chance Sanada Genichirou would actually heed his last-minute advice and become less stringent for the remainder of the day. Yanagi's words had been carefully selected, and there are just times when everyone (else) is vulnerable to mind games. It was the right time to leave those two to talk, anyway. 

There was an 80% chance that this day's outing had actually improved Rikkai's inter-team dynamics. A windfall on all counts, as he had not exactly counted on _everyone_ in the team making an appearance... 

Taking the new dynamics data into account, there was a 71% chance that their play styles were going to improve, and that they were going to win in the Nationals, as planned. And as promised. 

This was a step up from the original 68%, a conclusion at which he'd originally arrived via a thorough analysis of updated skills tables of their strongest opponents. He still, of course, grounded his new calculations on the notion that there were going to be only _seven_ players in the Rikkai team. 

There was a 72% chance Yukimura Seiichi would not be able to play in the Nationals. 

When he remembered this, his calculations fell silent. 

He had more results lined up for cross-checking and evaluation -- most of which had to do with Yukimura's recovery rate. These results attempted to answer questions such as: How long it would take Yukimura to recover, how much retraining he had to do, how their odds of victory fluctuated as per the probabilities of Yukimura making it back in the team, and also NOT making it back in the team... 

But somehow, something held his questioning back. _"No matter what happens, I'm still with you."_ ...was where most of them ended. 

He doubted Sanada understood. Yet in a sense, Yanagi was grateful. 

Life wasn't a game played on a closed court. Odds weren't as easy to calculate. Determination and hard work increased all chances of success; unforeseen, unquantifiable things served as catalysts for the impossible. His friend could still make it back into the team. The new rounds of medicine he was taking could still make him stronger. 

While Yanagi Renji didn't exactly have faith in miracles, he knew the power of the unexpected... 

And sometimes it just felt better to _believe_ than to _know_. 

************************** 

Yukimura Seiichi kept his eyes closed while he steadied himself. 

Sanada's presence was a solid, heavy _feeling_ at the edge of his awareness. He tried his best to ignore it. 

It was no good. He was only getting weaker. There was no way he could return to the team like this... 

As it had done many times in the past, something Sanada had said echoed in his head: "Even without you, we're still a national level team." 

They didn't need him. 

He was the one who very badly needed to get back into the team. To get the chance to play again. To fulfill his promise... 

He'd wanted so badly to be captain. If you were captain, they couldn't take you out of the team easily. If you were captain, you would be in a position to share your knowledge and help other players equally driven to excel. If you were captain, you were useful. Indispensable. 

But it seemed that being captain needed more strength than he had. 

Sanada, for example, would make a better captain. Or Yanagi. The two lead dogs. _His_ team needed a leader who wouldn't fail them. _His_ team had to go on for themselves, not for the sake of one of them. 

So... 

Was he giving up? 

He was still a Rikkai regular. They still called him "Buchou." They were all looking forward to getting him back on the team soon. 

Was he letting them all down? 

Yukimura opened his eyes. Sanada, who had sat down at last, arms folded on his drawn-up knees, turned his head to look at him, alert to the smallest movement. 

"You should tell me if you're hungry or uncomfortable," Sanada initiated, when Yukimura said nothing for a while. "Or if you want to go back..." 

"I'm fine. I don't want to go back." 

Yukimura saw that there were more people. The majority was cheering, they seemed to be having fun. He and Sanada were just two boys off to one side by themselves, blending into the crowd. 

"...Sanada." If he was the only one going down, he was going down fighting. "When I return to the tennis club after the winter break, I expect you to help me retrain." 

No emotion registered on Sanada's face. The other boy simply listened, looking up at Yukimura quietly. 

"Set aside a few hours after school to practice exclusively with me. I would like to ask you to free up the first weekend after school, too...but the hours after school should do, so we won't have to..." 

"Yukimura," Sanada finally interrupted. 

And Yukimura seized the chance to pause. It was tiring to talk. 

"Don't think too hard about the team. Concentrate on getting better." Sanada looked away. "I'll watch out for you." 

They sat through the performance in silence for a while. The music and the band changed on them. People came and went, the darkness grew deeper and bright winter stars fought to show through the lamplight and the lights from the stage. 

Then the boy in the wheelchair extended his hand, palm upward, to the boy seated on the ground beside him. 

Without looking, without even thinking, the boy on the ground quickly enfolded this hand with his own. 

Yukimura closed his eyes. 

"One last win, Sanada..." 

Sanada's hand tightened around his captain's. "One last win." 

So warm. 

This was the last time this year that Yukimura was going to feel this warm. 

It was comforting to believe that next year, there will be more days like this. 

  
  
(THE END) 

******************************** 

NOTES: 

Does anyone still remember this fic? >P I'm sorry it took me so long to post the last part. I've had to rewrite the whole thing. The monumental boo-boo I mentioned in Chapter 5 was this: 

The nationals end _before_ September, when most seniors retire from their club activities. I slipped up, so the original version of this fic was set _before_ the nationals, and on _Christmas eve_. 

Please excuse me while I beat myself repeatedly over the head with this rubber chicken. 

But thanks to Genius 215, which tells us that Yukimura was hospitalized in the winter of his second year, I found a way to minimize on the rewrites. So now, this fic is set on Christmas eve of Yukimura et al's second year, which is Kirihara's first year. They are all already regulars, because I'm going by what Mithas told me: seniors retire from club activities around September. So by December, 2nd-year Yukimura would already have been appointed as captain, Sanada as vice-captain, etc. 

The entire plot was preserved during the rewrite. I kept my original character (mis)conceptions, though, for posterity's sake. My speculations regarding Yukimura's illness were also screwed up by Genius 215, but not very badly, thank God! :) 

****** 

_A note to readers waiting for the next part of "Harder to Breathe"_: I'm afraid I've put the fic on hold indefinitely. Most of my fics have been Rikkai-centric lately, I'm having trouble recovering my muses for other characters/pairings. 

You guys have been very kind to me, I still hope to continue (and eventually finish) "Harder to Breathe" sometime in the near future. Many, many thanks for your encouragement and support. 

****** 

In the end, I still wrote this for Mithas (wuvs her) and I hope it wasn't a complete disappointment. 

Title and inspiration borrowed from Cousteau's song, "Last Good Day of the Year." 

Thanks for reading, everyone! 

-- MorphailEffect 


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